Pennsylvania, 1756: Quaker Strivings for Peace amidst the French and Indian War

The novel I’m currently finishing takes
place in 1756, and delves into Pennsylvania’s greatly deteriorating
relationship with the province’s Indian tribes, as well as the effort that Philadelphia
Quakers put forth to bring about peace.

The French and Indian War (1754–1763),
known as the Seven Years’ War in Europe, isn’t nearly as renowned as the Revolutionary
War, but it was a pivotal point in American history. The French controlled
Canada and had their sights set on what is now the U.S. Midwest. They hoped to thwart
English expansion to the west, especially in Pennsylvania, and tried to prevent
the English from buying land that belonged to the province’s tribes—primarily
the Lenape (called the Delaware by European settlers), the Susquehannock, and
the Shawanese.

The Lenape were already devastated by the
loss of their lands in eastern Pennsylvania, particularly the infamous Walking
Purchase in 1737. The tribe’s continued gross mistreatment by Pennsylvania’s
government and settlers then impelled them to ally with the French and turn the
frontier to the north and west of Philadelphia into “a theatre of bloodshed.”

While the non-Quaker population
called for the raising of a militia for self-defense, the pacifistic Friends
(Quakers) in the Pennsylvania Assembly refused. This political struggle finally
ended in May 1756 when six prominent Friends resigned from the Assembly, allowing
Pennsylvania to fully embrace military defenses.

To address the violence on the
frontier in their own way, Friends in Philadelphia formed the Friendly Association for Regaining
and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures, under the leadership
of Israel Pemberton Jr., a former assemblyman. This group worked tirelessly to
forge peace with the Lenape through treating them with respect and love,
working to compensate them for their losses, and acting as a liaison between
the tribe and the government. The Friendly Association continued to meet with
the Lenape and the Six Nations (who controlled the Lenape) throughout the
French and Indian War period, providing needed provisions and assisting with
multiple peace treaties, some of which were more successful than others.

In 1758, Pennsylvania passed an act
that created provincial stores to provide supplies to the Indians at reasonable
prices. In addition, profit from the stores’ sales would go toward the cost of
schoolmasters for the Indians and other tribal expenses. The Friendly
Association offered its support, hoping that the stores would benefit the
tribes, but various problems developed over the next few years. After the
outbreak of Pontiac’s War (1763), the stores closed.

Quaker support of the Friendly
Association dwindled in the early 1760s, and, after Pontiac’s War, so did
Quaker influence in Indian affairs. The British Ministry now forbid those who
had no official capacity to engage with the Indians, and while Israel Pemberton
and other Friendly Association leaders were still quite concerned for the
Lenape’s welfare, many Friends became discouraged by the group’s inadequate results
and stopped contributing funds. Eventually the group was no longer able to
carry out its mission and stopped meeting.

Over the years since, the Friendly
Association has garnered both praise and criticism from historians, depending
on their viewpoint. Many have concluded that whatever the outcome, the group no
doubt had the tribes’ interests in mind and truly hoped to bring about peace
during a very turbulent time. Amid a horrible war, they gave many Indians some
renewed confidence in the English (who quite honestly didn’t deserve it), and
their influence with the Lenape people helped pave the way for peace treaties with
other tribes. Still, the Friendly Association couldn’t fix what the
Pennsylvania government had destroyed and had no intention of mending. In spite
of the group’s inability to accomplish all it hoped to, there is no doubt that
the Friendly Association had its successes as well. The group did what it could
to alleviate suffering, and one can only wonder how many other lives would have
been claimed during the war—both Indian and white—had it not been for their
dedication.